Verne
Q. Powell was the son of a jeweler and taught himself
flutemaking.
One he made from melted down scrap silver he sent to William S. Haynes
in Boston, who offered him a job on the spot. After 13 years with
Haynes, rising to be production manager, Verne tried to buy into the
company.
When Haynes refused to sell to him, he set up his own independent shop
in 1926. This thin-walled flute was
made 30 years later, several years before Verne Powell retired (selling
his business to four former employees). By this time he had a
pretty
good idea how a flute should be made. The general condition
belies
the age of the flute, appearing virtually unused. If there
weren't
minor tell-tales indicating the action has seen use, the sharpness of
the
engraving would make one think the flute has not seen any use -- one
can
only suppose it escaped the multiple buffings that befall so many
instruments